Bumpers College Names Gamma Sigma Delta Poster and Oral Presentation Contest Winners

Submitted

Eliott Pruett in crop, soil and environmental sciences and Wayne Hawkins in plant pathology won the undergraduate poster and oral presentation divisions, respectively.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Undergraduate, master's degree and doctoral student winners from the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Science's 62nd annual Gamma Sigma Delta Poster and Oral Competition have been announced.

Gamma Sigma Delta is the Honor Society of Agriculture. The competition was in March at the Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center and the top three finishers have been named in each category.

Undergraduate Poster Division:

• 1st – Eliott Pruett, crop, soil and environmental sciences, "Toward Trait Stacking in Crops: Efficiency of I-Scel Nuclease in Excising DNA Fragments from Arabidopsis Genome"

• 2nd – Paige Acklie, agricultural economics and agribusiness, "Then and Now: Ten Years of Arkansas Women in Agriculture"

• 3rd – Luke Lane, agricultural economics and agribusiness, "Industrial Hemp: Legal, Political/Social and Economic Issues Raised Over Time"

Undergraduate Oral Presentation Division:

• 1st – Wayne Hawkins, plant pathology, "HAP3 of Phomopsis Iongicolla Influences Growth, Development and Pathogenesis"

• 2nd – Will Pohlman, animal science, "Evaluation of the Effects of Dam Age on Growth Performance and Carcass Traits of Crossbred Steers"

• 3rd – Jack McCoy, horticulture, "Evaluation of Harvest Time on Post-Harvest Incidence of Red Drupelet Reversion Development and Firmness of Blackberry"

Master's Poster Division:

• 1st – Matheus Palhano, crop, soil and environmental sciences, "Do Seeding Rate and Planting Method of Cereal Rye Influence Weed Control in Cotton?"

• 2nd – Mark McCown, crop, soil and environmental sciences, "Do Indeterminate and Determinate Soybean Cultivars Differ in Response to Low Rates of Dicamba?"

• 3rd – Seth Abugho, crop, soil and environmental sciences, "Physiological and Molecular Characterization of Resistance to Glyphosate in Johnson Grass from Louisiana"

Master's Oral Presentation Division:

• 1st – Mason Young, crop, soil and environmental sciences, "Evaluation of Benzobicyclon Controlling Weedy Rice"

• 2nd – Nicholas Steppig, crop, soil and environmental sciences, "Johnson Grass Control in Inzen Grain Sorghum"

• 3rd – Deandrae Smith, food science, "Microwave Energy Penetration into Rice of Different Bed Thicknesses and Impacts on Rice Quality and Microflora"

 Ph.D. Poster Division:

• 1st – Ryan Miller, crop, soil and environmental sciences, "Loyant Herbicide: Quantification in Soil and Determination of Replant Interval for Soybean"

• 2nd – Bhuvan Pathak, cell and molecular biology and crop, soil and environmental sciences, "The Use of Nucleases to Delete Marker Genes from Transgenic Plants"

• 3rd – Salas, crop, soil and environmental sciences, "RNA-Seq Transcriptome Analysis of Glufosinate-Tolerant Palmer Amaranth"

Ph.D. Oral Presentation Division:

• 1st – Sangeeta Mukhopadhyay, food science, "Physical and Functional Characteristics of Broken Rice Kernels Caused by Moisture-Adsorption Fissuring"

• 2nd – Christopher Meyer, crop, soil and environmental sciences, "Determining Herbicide Interactions in New Enlist and Roundup Ready Xtend Systems"

• 3rd – Dennis Lozada, crop, soil and environmental sciences, "Association Mapping and Genetic Diversity of a Soft Winter Wheat Germplasm Collection"

Gamma Sigma Delta seeks to advance agriculture in all its phases, to maintain and improve the relations of agriculture and related sciences to other industries, and recognize the responsibilities of those engaged in all aspects of agriculture to humankind.

Judges for the competition included Bumpers College faculty members Andrew McKenzie, agricultural economics and agribusiness; Lanier Nalley, agricultural economics and agribusiness; Ken Korth, plant pathology; Kelly Way, hospitality innovation; Janeal Yancey, animal science; John Rupe, plant pathology; Adele Steger, plant pathology; Ed Chavez, agricultural economics and agribusiness; Jun Zhu, biological and agricultural engineering; Kris Brye, crop, soil and environmental sciences; Ya-Jane Wang, food science; and Michael Evans, horticulture.

GSD officers who coordinated the competition were Michael Popp, president, agricultural economics and agribusiness; Don Edgar, vice president, agricultural education, communications and technology; Wang, secretary; Ashley Dowling, treasurer, entomology; and David Edmark, historian, agricultural communication services.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.